Our Mission Is To Maintain And Strengthen The City's Diversity, Equity, And Accountability.
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Greetings!
“Birmingham or Los Angeles, the cry is always the same. We want to be free.”
Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said those words 60 years ago at the Los Angeles Freedom Rally, then one of the largest civil rights rallies in the nation. Nearly 40,000 people came to hear Dr. King, who was seeking support for federal civil rights protections.
That clarion call would result in the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin. This law changed American history, outlawing segregation, and would empower civil rights protectors across the country — including LA Civil Rights.
Reverend Dr. King and the 40,000 people who gathered in South LA could not have known the far-reaching impacts of their efforts. But as Dr. King said two years later at Temple Israel of Hollywood, "we are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny."
Today, LA Civil Rights is proud to carry on Dr. King's legacy by protecting civil rights in private commerce, education, employment and housing. We are proud to join the millions of people who have been inspired to action by Dr. King’s work, especially as we commemorate his legacy today at the 38th Annual Kingdom Day Parade. Discrimination and inequity are still with us today — and we must continue fighting for a better world.
Birmingham to Los Angeles, we will be free.
Keep the faith and keep the fight,
- Capri Maddox
Executive Director
Civil + Human Rights and Equity Department
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WATCH: 2022 in 90 seconds
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What a year!
In 2022, we launched the city's first participatory budgeting program, hosted the city’s first “LA For All” Day, and launched the city's first discrimination enforcement program, which protects Angelenos from discrimination in private commerce, education, employment and housing. We captured it all in our 90-second Instagram video.
Through the year, we worked hand-in-hand with community organizations and residents across Los Angeles. We are grateful to work with all of you,and look forward to even more progress in 2023.
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The Inequity Behind Homelessness
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Black people represent more than one-third of LA County's population experiencing homelessness, despite the fact that Black people make up only 9% of LA County's total population. Last week, we joined LAHSA and LA County’s Anti-Racism, Diversity, and Inclusion Initiative (ARDI) for an action kick-off to tackle this glaring disparity - and center equity in solving homelessness. Thank you, Dr. D'Artagnan Scorza, for leading critical discussions between government, community, and lived expertise.
Part of what drives the homelessness crisis here — and across the nation — is the structural racism baked into our city’s growth. In the 1930s, while LA was booming, redlining kept many Black and Latino families from owning a home, denying them access to generational wealth and upward mobility. Compounding factors make it far easier for Black Angelenos to fall into homelessness — and harder to get out.
The LA Civil Rights Office of Racial Equity invests funding and promotes community-led programming in the communities most impacted by institutional racism.
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LAST CHANCE: Apply for an L.A. REPAIR Grant!
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Calling all non-profits and community-based organizations! If you operate in Boyle Heights, Southeast LA, or Mission Hills-Panorama City-North Hills, apply now for grant funding to turn community ideas into transformative change.
We’ve received dozens of ideas from these communities, and now it’s YOUR chance to make them happen with $3 million available in grant funding.
Proposals are due January 20th! Don’t miss out. Apply now.
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One year ago, the body of 16-year-old Tioni Theus was discovered alongside the 110 Freeway at Manchester Avenue. Her killer has not been found.
Sadly, Tioni is one of many Black women and girls whose murders remain unsolved. Last week, LA Civil Rights joined Tioni's family and community advocates to call for justice and renewed attention on Tioni's case.
Nationally, the number of unsolved homicides of Black women and girls rose by 89% in 2021.
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The LA For All Healing Circles are open dialogues to foster stronger community bonds, support community-based organizations, and provide safe spaces for Angelenos discussing the impacts of racial trauma, identity, systemic racism, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
We're partnering with Mayor’s Fund LA and community organizations across the city to host public virtual and in-person HealingCircles.
On January 13th and January 17th, join the next Healing Circles at the Chinese American Museum with Dr. Wenli Jen.
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201 N. Los Angeles St., Suite 6
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 978-1845
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